In the mid 1990s, I was about ten years old and read nearly every Goosebumps book R.L. Stine wrote. I was a kid obsessed with creepy ventriloquist dummies, monster blood, haunted masks and ghosts next door. Most of my old Goosebumps books are still on my bookshelves, waiting for my kid to be ready to read them. If he dares!

The 2015 Film starring Jack Black as R.L. Stine is a wonderful orignal story tying itself to the most memorable books of the series. It starts off like a Goosebumps story would, a boy, Zach (Dylan Minnette) and his mom (Amy Ryan) move to a new town. He meets the nice girl next door, Hannah (Odeya Rush). Then he meets her creepy father (Black) who warns him to stay away. When Zach worries that something happened to Hannah, he investigates and accidentally unleashes the monsters from Stine’s books on the town. Then the real fun begins!

Goosebumps is a good mix of creepy fun, action and adventure perfect for older kids. The CGI monsters are not gruesome or gory and this isn’t a slasher kind of scary movie. Unless your littlest ones scare easily, this is a good one to share in the Halloween season. My three year old loves it (yet he is terrified by the tv show from the late 90s, double check what you’re watching.)

However, my kid cannot appreciate it like his old ‘90’s child mama. So many of the books I read as a kid were suddenly brought to life at once. Monsters I hadn’t thought about in twenty years crept back in my memory, brought me a great sense of happy nostalgia and reminded me why I first began to write. Best of all, writing becomes an act of heroics that helps save the day. What nerd wouldn’t eat that up?

While Goosebumps is aimed at kids and tweens, older millennials who grew up waiting for Stine’s next book to be released will be just as pleased. It’s not Oscar material and I doubt it will be a classic, but it’s great spooky fun and Jack Black is perfectly kooky. Check it out if you want a wonderful Halloween treat complete with some Stine-styled twists.

Happy October! Here at The Best Picture Project the month of October is dedicated to finding the best films to chill and scare you all the way to Halloween. So join me in a little journey. We will begin down Elm Street, encounter a demon child, a twisted mysterious murderer and face more bumps in the night.

As always, I encourage readers to give me suggestions on what to watch. A few of my favorite horror films have come from previous suggestions, so thank you! I cannot guarantee that I can get to everything, but I sure as hell will try.

To check out any horror movie reviews from previous years, just click the October Haunts tab above.

It’s hard to believe that October is here again. Here at The Best Picture Project, that means a month focused on classic and great horror films that fit into the Halloween season.

Now I realize the past month was a bit slow and I do want to apologize for not bringing enough film fun to my slice of the blogosphere. Life has been busy, full of new ventures and topped off with a trip out west. I’m back now, refreshed and with my Netflix queue stocked with horror.

As always, I invite you to suggest your favorite Halloween spirited films. Right now, I want to promise getting to The Blob, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn of the Dead (’78) and Frankenstein. To see what films I have covered last October, check out my October Haunts page. I may not be able to review all of them, but having more on my radar is always helpful. Let’s enjoy a spooky, fun filled October!

The first time I watched Halloween in its unedited entirety, I was about thirteen and babysitting my siblings. Yes, perfect. This was the late 90s, and the early days of parental passwords blocking television programs. My technology-deficient dad needed my help to set the password, so I knew how to watch anything I wanted. While my brother was excited to see the original slasher film, I remember my sister protesting, saying it was too scary and she’d tell on me. Oh, please. Like any smart oldest child, I asserted my dominance and threatened some sort of blackmail I had been saving on her. Victory was mine that night, and we were all sufficiently scared that runaway maniacs could be roaming around the neighborhood.

John Carpenter’s Halloween from 1978 focuses on a small suburban town, its escaped manic’s return home after fifteen years, and a few teenage babysitters. Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the bookish sitter, covering for her friends while they run off to fool around with their boyfriends. She is also the more observant and skittish, noticing the eerie presence following the girls all day. While Michael stalks the girls and moves in closer, his doctor (Donald Pleasence) is trying to find him, before it’s too late.

The film establishes the legend of Michael Myers perfectly. It opens with a first person look at the murder from six year old Michael’s vantage point. It’s perfectly creepy and brutal and seems to lack a soul. In the present, the Myers house looks old, spooky and abandoned. Local kids say it’s haunted and dare each other to go in on Halloween night. That moment when a kid runs into Michael outside the school, we don’t know if there is a recognition, but he runs like he had just seen the boogeyman he was just talking about.

One of my favorite scenes is just a small moment towards the end, so please, if you have not seen Halloween, skip to the next paragraph, major spoilers! I remember perfectly the first time my sister saw this moment, when Laurie thought she had killed Michael upstairs. She tells the kids to run to a neighbor’s house to call the police and sits in the doorway crying and collecting herself. Suddenly, we see Michael sit up behind her! On cue, my sister and I proceeded to freak out, desperately trying to warn Laurie of the danger behind her.

In my opinion, Halloween is the best slasher film out there. The situation is perfect; teenage babysitters with their guard down in their safe town and a manic is stalking them. We love to see Michael stalk, biding his time building his eerie presence and our anticipation at the same time. Our innocent characters are powerless against Michael’s brute, murderous insanity and we love to watch and wait for them to fall. Enough suspense and fear is established to warrant the brutal and gory images of Michael’s murders. Whenever I hear music from the film, the back of my neck feels prickly, bringing instant fear and recognition. Most frightening of all, the film feels very real, like any late night alone in a quiet neighborhood could end screaming and becoming Michael’s next victim. Happy Halloween!

Whether they love it or loath it, every 90s kid knows Hocus Pocus. My uncle took my sister and I along with his children to see it in theaters. This was back in 1993, when I was nearly eight years old, a good age for this movie. Nowadays, I’m surprised at the nostalgic joy I feel whenever I come across Hocus Pocus. For those who just don’t get it, maybe this drinking game will help you get into the spirit.

Hocus Pocus begins with a quick look back in time at the legend of the Sanderson sisters. In 1693 Salem, the trio of witches capture a girl and suck the life force out of her, restoring their youth before her brother, Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) could rescue her. The witches curse young Binx to roam the world as a black cat and they are hanged by angry villagers. However, right before their hanging, the witches plant a curse that could bring them back to feed off the lives of children again. All they need is a virgin to light the black flame candle on a Halloween night.

In 1993 Salem, Max (Omri Katz) is a teenager who has just moved in from California. He scoffs at all of these witchy stories that the town seems to thrive on, but that pretty girl in class, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), is smart and supportive of Salem’s haunted culture. While Max is unhappily taking little sister, Dani (Thora Birch), out trick-or-treating, they run into Allison. When she offers to take Max and Dani to see the old Sanderson sisters’ house, Max sees his chance to impress this girl and lights the black flame candle, sure that nothing would happen. So much if Max was going to deny his virginity, cause the witches are back and looking for children.

I laugh more and more every time I see Hocus Pocus. Some of these jokes I have always laughed at, like Mary (Kathy Najimy) riding a vacuum cleaner when they can’t find enough brooms. Or the other moments where twentieth century technology scares the witches. Then there are some sexual jokes I grew into that flew over my head in the theater. Today, some of my favorite parts are the laughable way that witchy Sarah Jessica Parker hits on everything that moves and the absurdly 90s moments. Anyone would be ashamed of any evidence that they once shaving “ICE” into the back of their head.

Though Hocus Pocus is one of those loud comedies for kids and adults that Disney made too many of in the 90s, I’ve always liked how this one holds up. The story is partially character driven, giving Max the opportunity to prove that he is not really a selfish non-believer but a brave boy and a good big brother. While most Halloween nights, the parents would have to step in at some point, that is taken care of with a spell, cleverly disguised as a catchy tune at the town party. Even Binx, from the very beginning, is part of the story as a helpful talking cat, but not used as a prop. The only thing that has ever really bugged me is when Winnie (Bette Midler) lands in the cemetery towards the end. Didn’t Binx say that witches cannot set foot on that hallowed ground?

I don’t expect my future children, or today’s kids, to love Hocus Pocus the way I do. There is a silly nostalgia in it for me, it was a part of my childhood. Regardless, it’s still great Halloween fun that kids and adults can enjoy without risking any nightmares.

There is an old VHS tape in my parents’ house with the original Frankenweenie short on it. My mother must have recorded it from the television, along with other Halloween-ish shows in the early 1990s. During my childhood, my siblings and I watched that wonderful little film countless times. The story of young Victor, Sparky and that crazy town with the fantastic pet cemetery is very dear to me. I had my worries about the animated feature, if it could possibly live up to its predecessor. Thankfully, Tim Burton kept to the heart of his story.

The animated Frankenweenie is basically an extension of the short. The main plot is Victor (voice of Charlie Tahan) bringing Sparky back to life and the town seeing the reanimated dog as a menace. Alongside that, we get a broader view of Victor’s classmates, who all look like young horror film characters. When the new science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (voice of Martin Landau), brings out the science fair, the kids see it as a competition. Edgar (voice of Atticus Shaffer), a young Igor, discovers that Victor brought Sparky back to life, and blackmails Victor to show him how he did it. Soon, Edgar and all the other kids are harnessing the town’s frequent lightning strikes and bringing all sorts of pets to life.

To my delight, some of the best details of the short are present in the film. Some of the tombstones in the pet cemetery are just how I remember them in the short’s credits, my favorite always being the tall slender one for a pet snake. Victor’s lab still has the light-up Christmas reindeer and a clock spinning backwards. Dramatic shots using the front of cars still pack a powerful punch. Even one of the neighbors looks just like an old familiar character, but sadly doesn’t yell, “It tried to eat my Raymond!”

To my surprise, the new parts of the movie were just as fun. There’s a weird girl with a psychic cat. The other kids’ life-giving experiments become fun nods to classic horror movies, including The Wolfman, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Godzilla. We see more of Sparky’s adventures while Victor is at school. And Mr. Rzykruski was so wonderfully creepy that a child in the theater started crying every time he was on screen for a while.

There’s a moment in the film that may come off as preachy, but I see only Burton’s good intentions. At a PTA meeting, some parents decide to get rid of Mr. Rzykruski, not liking -or understanding- the things he is teaching. Though he ends up insulting everyone, he makes a good point that not enough people are interested in science and though the angry mob of parents might never care to understand, there’s still hope for their children. If there’s anything kids need these days, it’s a push to pursue science.

No matter your age, Frankenweenie is good fun and perfect for the Halloween season. There is enough action and wonderfully weird characters for kids and plenty of horror movie style and references for adults. Perhaps this could be a springboard for kids to seek out horror films that served as inspiration for Frankenweenie. And even though it’s black and white, there is no need to see it in 3D, this film does not need a gimmick to be good. Put that money towards some popcorn, or a young scientist’s education.

The first time I watched Night of the Living Dead was Halloween night when I was thirteen years old. I had spent the evening trick-or-treating with my friends and had quite the candy haul. After a little trading with my siblings, it was my main source of energy as I stayed up waiting for the movie to begin at midnight. My parents decided to stay up with me, but feel asleep on the couch before it even started. Our local horror movie host, Sammy Terry and his pet spider George, did a quick introduction for the movie, which was rare for my time. My parents have better memories of him. The next hour and a half of my young life was a pure terror sugar rush. When it was over, my parents shuffled me to bed but I couldn’t sleep. I spent most of the night wide awake in terror or tossing due to too much candy. What a great Halloween.

This is the original story of zombie survival. While visiting a cemetery, Barbara (Judith O’Dea) and her brother, Johnny (Russell Streiner) are attacked by a strangely violent person. As Barbara escapes, more and more dead looking people appear and she seeks shelter in an old farm house. Soon, it’s surrounded, but she isn’t alone. In the cellar are a young couple and a family with a sick child. Then Ben (Duane Jones) bursts in and leads the group, barricading the doors and windows and getting new information over the television and radio. Together, they try to survive the night and each other.

Variety and friction among the characters is always important in a good zombie movie. Here, Ben is our level headed leader. That leadership is challenged by Harry (Karl Hardman) who was at the house first with his family. Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley) are the sweet young couple who want help and stay together, but that may ruin a few plans. Barbara goes from raving to catatonic, and is not much help. And that little girl in the basement has been bitten by one of those things, we know what that means.

I love the way this film begins and what better place than a cemetery. When Johnny and Barbara arrive to put flowers on their father’s grave, Johnny is less than respectable about the whole errand. He complains about how far a drive it is and even jokes that they should just move their father closer to them. Then he brings up the way he used to scare his sister in the cemetery and continues it, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” Maybe with a little more respect for the dead, he wouldn’t have been our first victim.

In my eyes, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead from 1968 is THE zombie flick. It’s scary without relying on jumpy moments. It’s plenty gross without a ridiculous amount of gore. The black and white photography is intense. I love the odd angles, the focus on faces and the amazing contrast. It feels almost primal. Best of all, these zombies are really frightening and all they can do is shamble, grab and bite, none of that super zombie stuff we see now and then today.